Phrases.com »

Phrases related to: john q. public

Yee yee! We've found 156 phrases and idioms matching john q. public.

Sort:RelevancyA - Z
John Q. PublicA generic individual; some hypothetical average or ordinary citizen.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
John HancockOne's signature.Rate it:

(4.50 / 2 votes)
John DoeA fictitious name used in the legal documents for an unknown or anonymous male person.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
John DoeAny unknown or anonymous male person.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
John HenryOne's signature.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
John ThomasThe penisRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
Master John GoodfellowPenis.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
tu m'étonnes, JohnTu m’étonnes.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
who shot johnA long and involved explanation; a thing of which an explanation would be long and involved.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
Air Your Dirty Laundry in PublicTo discuss your personal matters and conflicts publicly specifically when you argue with someone .Rate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)
public enemy number oneA person who ranks highest on the federal government's prioritized list of wanted criminal fugitives.Rate it:

(2.50 / 2 votes)
air one's dirty laundry in publicto reveal one's secrets to the public.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
go publicMake public, announce publicly or to the press.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
Joe PublicA hypothetical average or generic member of the public; the common man (or person, by extension).Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
public commentInput given by the public to governmental (or rarely other) bodies, about proposed legislation or regulation(s), during a period-and by means-set aside and prescribed by law.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
public commentUsed other than as an idiom: see public, comment.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
public enemy number oneA person, organization, or other object considered to be particularly menacing, harmful, or loathsome.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
public eyeThe focus of public attention, the limelight.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
public intellectualA well-known, intelligent, learned person whose written works and other social and cultural contributions are recognized not only by academic audiences and readers, but also by many members of society in general.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
wash one's dirty linen in publicSynonym of air one's dirty laundry in publicRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
all-out brawlA brutal fight without honor, often referring to spontaneous conflicts that erupt in a public place like a bar.Rate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)
behind closed doorsPublic disclosure.Rate it:

(5.00 / 2 votes)
come-to-JesusRelating to a Christian conversion, recommitment, or associated ritual, especially public confession.Rate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)
get a roomA jocular or sarcastic expression commanding a couple to stop displaying affection in public, and to rent a hotel or motel room to continue amorous activities in private.Rate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)
go outTo leave one's abode to go to public places.Rate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)
make an exhibition of oneselfTo embarrass oneself or others in public.Rate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)
sacred cowSomething which cannot be tampered with, or criticized, for fear of public outcry.Rate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)
set the thames on fireTo achieve something amazing; to do something which brings great public acclaim.Rate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)
reveal the secretTo explain a secret in public or to someoneRate it:

(4.47 / 19 votes)
a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go downAn otherwise unpleasant situation can be pleasant when a pleasant aspect is deliberately introduced.1999, Eli Yassif, The Hebrew Folktale: History, Genre, Meaning, Indiana University Press, ISBN 0253335833, page 372,One is known as the "sweetening parable," that is to say a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. Thus, when the aim is to preach to the people, to guide them along the "bitter," arduous path of upholding burdensome precepts and prohibitions, a tale can lighten the load, make the "medicine" easier "to swallow."2001, Maureen Reagan, First Father, First Daughter: A Memoir, Little, Brown, ISBN 0316736368, page 319,It put some fun into the tedious business of preparing for a presidential debate. A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, right?2004, John Hoover, How to Work for an Idiot: Survive & Thrive... Without Killing Your Boss, Career Press, ISBN 1564147045, page 11,If a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, a barrel of laughs can wash down the big pills you might need to swallow.Rate it:

(4.00 / 5 votes)
blowtorch a marshmallow cakeTo vilify a benefactor, ridicule the boss, scorn a well-to-do friend in public.Rate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
jump onTo board a public transport vehicle.Rate it:

(4.00 / 3 votes)
paint the town redTo party or celebrate in a rowdy, wild manner, especially in a public place.Rate it:

(4.00 / 1 vote)
when the shit hits the fanA reference to the messy consequences of a secret or private situation becoming public.Rate it:

(3.50 / 2 votes)
eat outTo dine at a restaurant or such public place.Rate it:

(3.25 / 4 votes)
common nameThe name by which a species is known to the general public, rather than its taxonomic or scientific name.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
lay openIn Japan and South Korea, to publish a patent for initial public review, prior to the formal application for registration.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
throw dirt enough, and some will stickIf enough allegations are made about someone or something, then even if they are all untrue, people's opinion of the person or thing will be diminished.1759, John Wesley, letter to John Downes, Rector of St. Michael's, Wood Street, read at Wesley Center Online at on 14 Oct 06.I hope...that you are ignorant of the whole affair, and are so bold only because you are blind...And blind enough; so that you blunder on through thick and thin, bespattering all that come in your way, according to the old, laudable maxim, 'Throw dirt enough, and some will stick.'1857, Thomas Hughes, Tom Brown's Schooldays, read at fullbooks.com on 14 Oct 06,But whatever harm a spiteful tongue could do them, he took care should be done. Only throw dirt enough, and some will stick.1864, John Henry Newman, Apologia Pro Vita Sua, Penguin Classics (1994), p. 10,Archbishop Whately used to say Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
make a spectacle of oneselfTo embarrass oneself or others in publicRate it:

(2.00 / 1 vote)
catch-as-catch-canA. 1681, John Fryer, Richard Chiswell, Robert Roberts, Robert White, A New Account of East-India and Persia, in Eight Letters, Being Nine Years Travels, Begun 1672 and Finished 1681.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
cattle callAn audition which is open to the public and thus draws a large number of applicants, many of whom are inexperienced.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
drag kingA female who dresses up in men's clothing, typically for public performance.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
Jane DoeFemale equivalent of John Doe.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
ludos facere, edere (Iovi)to give public games in honour of Jupiter.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
play old harryBlenkiron and I have been moving in the best circles as skilled American engineers who are going to play Old Harry with the British on the Tigris. — John Buchan, "Greenmantle", 1916..Rate it:

(1.00 / 2 votes)
'tis an ill wind that blows no goodSimilar to "every cloud has a silver lining" or "one man's gain is another's loss". This expression appeared in John Heywood's 1546 proverb collection and remains so well known that it is often shortened. (www.dictionary.com}Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
a negotiis publicis se removereto retire from public life.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
a re publica recedereto retire from public life.Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
Aaron's beardHypericum calycinum (great St. John's-wort, Jerusalem star)Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)
Aaron's beardA common name for several plants, which have tufts of stamens.[First attested in the late 19 century.]Cymbalaria muralis (ivy-leaved toadflax, Kenilworth ivy)Hypericum calycinum (great St. John's-wort, Jerusalem star)Saxifraga stolonifera (creeping saxifrage, strawberry geranium)Opuntia leucotricha (arborescent prickly pear, Aaron's beard cactus)Rate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)

We need you!

Help us build the largest human-edited phrases collection on the web!

Alternative searches for john q. public:

Quiz

Are you a phrases master?

»
Thou doth ______ too much.
A eat
B drink
C think
D protest

Browse Phrases.com

#ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ